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Hausler's journey into disaster-resilient construction was deeply rooted in her background. Raised near Chicago in a family involved in the construction industry—her father a bricklayer—she learned about building from an early age. Her academic pursuit in engineering was driven by a tragic experience: the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India, which claimed 20,000 lives, primarily due to houses collapsing on their inhabitants. This tragedy sparked her conviction that engineering and construction could be harnessed to solve this preventable problem.
Overcoming Barriers to Safe Housing
Through her work, Hausler identified three primary obstacles hindering the adoption of safer construction—technology, people, and money.